Atkins Spokesperson Courtney Thorne-Smith Dishes on Diet

Actress Courtney Thorne-Smith, best known for her roles in TV dramas such as "Ally McBeal" and (the original) "Melrose Place," was named spokesperson for the Atkins Diet about a year ago.

After struggling to maintain her weight for years, for the past decade Courtney has been in the "maintenance" phase of Atkins to keep her svelte figure by eating a low-carb, low-sugar diet. Questioned by critics for its potential health risks and high-fat, high-cholesterol diet, Atkins has been busy repositioning its program from the "meat and cheese" diet of the '70s to a healthy lifestyle choice.

In decades past, dieters have mistaken the very low-carb induction phase with the entire diet, however, Atkins does allow a slow integration of bread and other healthy carbs in later phases. The brand has also recently launched a cuisine line with low-carb baking mix and a lower carb penne pasta, and, oh yeah, they now promote exercise. For all of the vegetarians out there, Atkins allows substituting plant-based proteins for animal-based foods such as nuts, yogurt, hummus and peanut butter. There's also "Eco Atkins," which preaches a similar plant-based protein diet, but is in no way connected with the actual Atkins brand.

The actress, spokesperson and mother of two-year-old son Jacob took a few minutes out of her busy schedule to talk with That's Fit about how the Atkins lifestyle has helped her stay slim and dispel some misconceptions about the program.

That's Fit: Tell us about your past dieting experience. How did you ultimately decide to lead an Atkins-style life, and now sign on as the spokesperson?

Courtney Thorne-Smith: I spent so much time just trying to figure out what to eat. Nothing worked right. I tried diets that were very low-fat, others that were low-calorie, and some that were food-combining. I even tried Atkins a long time ago, but I made the mistake of doing what you're not supposed to do -- I only ate bacon and cheese, which didn't make me feel well.

But in my experience I noticed that the people who were in good shape all had the same lifestyle that included cutting carbs and eating lots of protein. Of course, they didn't necessarily call it Atkins. When I finally went back and read the Atkins book, I was able to figure out what I needed to eat in order to be my own food judge. I eat a plant-based diet, and no starch or sugar. Of course, like on my son's first birthday, I had a piece of cake -- it's just a rare treat -- so to balance it out, I won't have as much fruit the next day.

Atkins is all about knowing what your baseline is in order to stay at a weight that works for you. I love the freedom of knowing what to eat and not having to calorie-count. As far as being the Atkins spokesperson, they called me about a year ago. I wanted to have a meeting with them to make sure that we were all talking about the same thing. It's not just about weight loss, but overall health. Atkins is a lifestyle, not just a diet.

TF: What's your typical daily menu and exercise routine on Atkins?

CTS: A typical day varies, but I eat a ton of nuts. They are the base of my diet. Right now, I'm obsessed with almond butter, and in general love almonds. I've also been making cucumber sandwiches with cream cheese, as well as celery with cream cheese or almond butter. When I'm out for lunch, I generally always get a cob salad without croutons, or, when I was pregnant, I ordered a bacon cheeseburger with no bun. For dinner my husband and I generally eat salads. One of my favorites (listed on the Atkins site) includes romaine lettuce, veggies, peppers, eggplant, olive oil and garlic salt with goat cheese and pine nuts. It's also really good to include sliced steak. If I'm out to dinner I get steak or salmon.

I don't exercise to keep weight down, I exercise to stay toned. When my son was born, I didn't exercise, but we took walks. Recently I've gotten back on treadmill, where I do about 40-45 minutes of cardio daily (walking and slow jogging) and 15-20 minutes of stretches and sit ups.

TF: What do you consider the most appealing aspect of Atkins, and conversely, what's the greatest sacrifice? I would imagine not eating carbs is high on the list ...

CTS: What's appealing is that I'm satisfied, and not trying to figure out how to eat enough. It's hard to mindlessly eat protein, unlike chips or popcorn. Proteins are so nutrient-dense, and they tell your brain that you're satisfied. As for a difficulty, I think it's hard for people to get out of the mindset of eating starch. But really, what nutrients are you getting from, say, a cinnamon roll? You feel like crap an hour afterward; it swells in your stomach leaving you feeling bloated, and actually makes your clothing feel tighter at the end of the day! Protein and fats come out of your body with water.

TF: Some nutritionists are skeptical about Atkins as a long-term diet plan, claiming that it deters dieters from eating less fibrous fruits and veggies due to the carbs and instead opt for more high-fat and high-cholesterol foods. What's your take on this?

CTS: This is an old-school mentality, generally by people who got stuck on the induction phase of the diet, where you can only eat 20 grams of carbs per day. This is really to help jump start weight loss, but it's not something dieters have to do.

What does every starlet say? 'I don't eat sugar and carbs' -- that's Atkins! But there are so many misconceptions about it. If you read the book (Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution) through until the end, Dr. Atkin says to eat veggies and protein, which I do. My son loves red peppers and celery because he sees mommy and daddy eating it all of the time -- I just don't eat a potato.

Not all experts shun a low-carb diet, in fact, That's Fit's Jonny Bowden thinks it's low-carb is a great diet, when done right.